Four-student Gulf school to shut doors

Education Queensland says it is working to ensure there is minimal disruption for students with the closure of a small school campus in the state's north-west Gulf Country.

The Department of Education, Employment and Training says the decision to close the Gregory Education Facility at Gregory Downs, north of Mount Isa, is not just about saving money, but about the best possible use of resources.

There are four students at the campus and parents are expecting it to close at the end of the week.

Department regional director Richard English says they are working on interim arrangements to minimise disruption.

"We're looking at whether we can continue to use the facility, that is up in the air at the moment but the students will be enrolled in the School of the Air," he said.

Mr English says it is not viable to keep it open and difficulty staffing the facility has prompted the decision to close.

"It is not just a cost saving measure, we do not go on dollars alone," he said.

"Given the high cost of service delivery at that site and the declining numbers, it is just not viable and cannot be sustained.

"We've had difficulty staffing the facility and while that has been a problem, all that that has done is brought the decision to close that little bit sharper in our focus and bought it forward."

State MP Rob Katter says it is a blow for the community and an example of a ruling by a "Brisbane-centric government".

"They are spending $550 million on a 'Premier's palace' in Queensland, surely they can find a way to provide a teacher in Gregory," he said.

"Any time anything closes down in these areas, we want to let the Government know that they can shut things down somewhere else if they have to but not out here because it is too big a price to pay in these small towns.

"I daresay these sorts of problems don't happen in little communities closer to the south-east corner.

"We always get hit hard with these things up here. Pardon me for being parochial, but just not in our backyard."